The University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student Badger Weed Science Team took second overall and Nikola Arsenijevic placed first in the Weed Identification category in the North Central Weed Science Society Student Weed Contest held July 25. The event was hosted by Monsanto Water Utilization Learning Center, Gothenburg, NE and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte, NE.

The contest consisted of four major events — Weed Identification, Herbicide Application Technology, Identification of Unknown Herbicides, and Problem Solving and Recommendations.

Members of the graduate student team included Nikola Arsenijevic and Sarah Striegel (Werle Program), and Lindsay Chamberlain and Derek Potratz (Conley Program). Victor Ribeiro (Werle Program) competed as a graduate student individual.

Badger Weeds Team at the Monsanto Gothenburg Water Utilization Center2nd Place Overall Team (left to right: Arsenijevic, Striegel, Chamberlain, and Potratz).Badger Weeds Team Practicing at Monsanto Research Farm, Janesville, WI
]]>2685PlantArcBio signs collaboration agreement with UW-Madison to field-test soybeanshttps://agronomy.wisc.edu/2018/08/02/plantarcbio-signs-collaboration-agreement-with-uw-madison-to-field-test-soybeans/
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 14:41:20 +0000https://agronomy.webhosting.cals.wisc.edu/?p=2659PlantArcBio Ltd., a leading biotechnology startup for the improvement of crop yield, recently completed a funding round that raised $3 million from private investors and Israel Innovation Authority grants. PlantArcBio signed an agreement with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, under which genes that improve drought tolerance will be tested by the university’s scientists in soybean greenhouses and fields in the United States. The genes were discovered by the company using its patented platform.

The newly discovered genes have shown excellent results in model plants in greenhouses, improving their drought tolerance by tens of percentages. Trait development in plants, like drug development, includes three experiment stages: experiments in model plants (plants that are relatively easy to grow and have short life cycles); experiments in a target plant (corn, soybeans, etc.); and extensive field trials in the target plant. After successfully completing the first stage, PlantArcBio has moved on to the second stage. Based on the results of the soybean trials, PlantArcBio will be able to accelerate the commercialization of the genes, which will be sold to seed companies for use in soybean, corn, canola and other crops worldwide.

Climate change in general, and drought specifically, is one of the major causes of crop yield reduction worldwide. A UW-Madison study estimated that U.S. soybean farmers alone have lost $11 billion over the past 20 years due to changes in weather patterns. After averaging nationwide data, researchers found that U.S. soybean yields fell by around 2.4 percent for every one-degree rise in temperature.

Activities associated with the soybean transformation and testing will be led by UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center (WCIC), which includes a state-of-the-art biotech plant laboratory and highly advanced greenhouses.

Michael Petersen, Associate Director, WCIC, says: “We’re excited to collaborate with PlantArcBio. Working together to improve soybean drought tolerance could lead to major breakthroughs in the agricultural realm that would also benefit farmers in the U.S.”

Dr. Dror Shalitin, Founder and CEO, PlantArcBio, says: “As we move on to the next stage of testing our promising genes, we’re very pleased to be joining forces with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This project brings together world-class academic researchers in agricultural science with one of the industry’s most innovative gene discovery companies. Connecting with the University of Wisconsin’s considerable capabilities in plant transformation, as well as soybean cultivation and testing, will enable us to strengthen our results and move closer to a product that will help farmers and improve global food security.”

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Fri, 20 Jul 2018 19:21:23 +0000https://agronomy.webhosting.cals.wisc.edu/?p=26432643Shawn Kaeppler elected president of CSSAhttps://agronomy.wisc.edu/2018/05/02/shawn-kaeppler-elected-president-of-cssa/
Wed, 02 May 2018 14:31:33 +0000https://agronomy.wisc.edu/?p=2592Shawn Kaeppler has been elected the next president of the Crop Science Society of America.

The Pound Extension Award is presented annually to an outstanding integrated Extension faculty member of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Criteria for the award include effective integration of research and outreach, demonstrated program reach through leadership, responsiveness, and engagement of appropriate audiences for maximum impact, ability to attract funding, national and/or international recognition, and use of effective evaluation technologies that clearly demonstrate impact.

The award will be presented in a ceremony on May 2, 2018.

]]>2583Elizabeth McNamee winner of Grant A. Harris Fellowshiphttps://agronomy.wisc.edu/2018/03/28/elizabeth-mcnamee-winner-of-grant-a-harris-fellowship/
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 19:21:03 +0000https://agronomy.wisc.edu/?p=2571Elizabeth McNamee is one of the four winner of the Grant A. Harris Fellowship. She has won $10,000 worth of equipment from the Meter Group as part of her work quantifying the effectiveness of irrigation scheduling in the Wisconsin Central Sands region.

Clare has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship, one of five granted annually. Clare is getting her BS in Agronomy with certificates in Global health and Environmental Studies, and is planning on a career in plant breeding. Clare is a longtime member of the Badger Crops Club and its newly elected president.

The IPSA is an independent association, formed in 1989, representing the interests of independent seed companies. To date IPSA has funded over $1,500,000 in private and public research projects.